​Global payment services provider Mastercard has extended its sponsorship of the Uefa Champions League club football competition.
Mastercard has agreed a new three-year deal with Uefa, football’s European governing body, covering the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons. Mastercard has sponsored the tournament since 1994.

The agreement also includes the next three editions of the Uefa Super Cup, the annual match played between the previous season’s winners of the Champions League and Europa League.

As part of the extended agreement, Mastercard will continue to offer children from around the world the chance to become player mascots for Champions League matches.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Uefa Events’ marketing director, said: “Partnering with a global brand such as Mastercard presents many benefits and opportunities for Uefa and we are excited about continuing our excellent relationship over the coming years. As an industry leading technology company, we look forward to further collaboration with Mastercard, as the role of digital becomes increasingly important in building deeper connections with global audiences.”

The deal comes after US multinational food and beverage corporation PepsiCo earlier this week renewed its sponsorship of the Champions League for the same three-year period.
​
Dutch brewing company Heineken and Japanese automotive manufacturer Nissan had previously extended their partnerships with the competition for the same cycle, while banking group Santander in November became the latest sponsor of the tournament through a deal that also covers the 2018-19 to 2020-21 seasons.